The present invention relates generally to the field of board games. More specifically, it relates to a game of strategy for two players, played on a three-dimensional board, with each player having a plurality of pieces that are moved from the periphery of the board toward the center in accordance with a predefined set of movement rules.
So-called "strategic" board games go back many centuries, with several, such as chess, checkers, and go, enjoying wide-spread and growing popularity. These games are characterized by relatively simple equipment, typically a board marked with designated spaces, and pieces that are moved in the spaces, in accordance with a predefined set of rules, toward a strategic objective, the attainment of which results in "victory" for one of the players. Typically, the game is for two players, each with an identical set of pieces, set up in strategically equal starting positions. Victory is achieved by moving the pieces toward the objective, using a logical analysis of possible moves for each player and his or her opponent. Thus, success is the result of mental acumen, rather than luck or chance.
While chess and checkers maintain their popularity, there is a significant demand for new strategic board games. In particular, there is a strong demand for new games that have relatively simple rules, so that a basic level of competence may be easily acquired, but that also permit the attainment of higher levels of skill as the game's strategy is mastered. In other words, the demand is for games that are easily learned by the novice, but that present an intellectual challenge to those who wish to attain a high degree of mastery. Another object for such games is that they readily lead to decisive outcomes, rather than inconclusive outcomes or draws, as is frequently the case in chess, for example. Furthermore, it is advantageous for such games to have relatively simple equipment, both for considerations of cost, and for advancing the end of simplicity of rules.
The prior art contains numerous examples of games that have sought to fulfill some or all of the above-mentioned criteria, with varying degrees of success. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,282--Sciarra; U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,751--Ching; U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,056--Ching; U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,016--McInnis; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,040--Cutler. Few, however, have fully achieved all of the aforementioned goals and the commercial success that might result.